To say that CBO director Doug Elmendorf provided little reassurance this morning regarding the cost of the Baucus bill would be a gross understatement. In fact, Elmendorf seemed unable to say much of anything at all about what the bill would or would not do.
Will it bend the cost curve down?:
“We have not evaluated the effects of the proposal on national health expenditures either within the 10-year window or beyond that window.”
Will health care spending be a higher or lower percentage of the GDP if Baucus bill passes?:
“We have not had an opportunity to develop an answer to that.”
Will the Baucus bill hurt Medicare recipients?:
“The Effect of those provisions on access to care is very uncertain. … We have focused on the budgetary effects.”